My Favorite Day

Sundays nights are the peace before the storm every week. So here I sit enjoying the quiet that is my favorite time of the day. It's when my mind is the most creative, and the quietest too. Days seem to run together since I am at home most of the time, but I have to admit Sundays are my favorite day of the week. It's the only day I can read and lay in bed, or take off and explore some place new like we did today.

Everyone has a favorite day of the week, be it hump day (Wednesday), or Friday that last day of the week and the beginning of every weekend. For me of course it's Sunday, because the freedom of this day is really great and it's a day for thought and simple quiet contemplation. I am more a thoughtful and introspective person and a day to really be able to do what I want, i.e. write and think is like being in my happy place all day!

How Important is the Presidency to Our Daily Lives?

Politics. I hate the arguments concerning who is the best for the White House because whoever wins won't really change anything. They come into office and complain that the congress is against them if it is made up 0f the opposition, or they don't, "understand the vision," if the congress is the same party. It's usually politics as usual. They don't make major changes and sometimes cause more problems for those of us who have to live every day as the middle and lower middle class.

Trust is the real issue that I have problems with concerning both parties. We have a charismatic like JFK, and a military man with a history of bravery and standing against big government as candidates. What will happen with either as president? If history follows it will be a big zero for those of us who elect the candidate or the country. There is little but rhetoric that comes after that golden election day.

Change is what we all want. But how when they keep telling us that country is just fine, but as the number of people losing jobs and homes daily is on the rise, and the jobs to replace those that need to support families are subsistence jobs at best, how are to we to go forward? I sure wish I had answers...it sure probably isn't going to come from the top of our government down.

The Best Way to Spend an Evening

The end of a delightful day. A good business meeting, and then spending the end of the day with a lovely little girl. She is of course my third granddaughter and at 6 she is a real bundle of energy! We went downtown tonight and shopped around; got something to drink to walk the avenue with to do some serious window shopping, and then we headed home.

We got home and played with the basketball dribbling all over the drive, and then just hung out with grandpa in the backyard.

This little one is really my huggy grandkid and I really enjoy that. I can honestly say that there is nothing better than time with any of my four special grandkids, but especially tonight with my little bundle of energy!

Create Fun!

I got to play with clay tonight! A group from my church went and got to colorize and paint to our hearts content on pots, plates, pitchers and so much more. But that wasn't all! We got to work with glass, or make beaded necklaces too! It was 3 hours of heaven for me as I created Christmas ornaments and sang to the music of the 60s that was being played. (I hope I didn't intrude on someone else's Zen moment with my singing with such gusto!) I am so relaxed and just relaxed...This was something I'm sure I will do again soon!

Really Remember

Evening birthday parties for little girls can be so much fun! We all met at a local park to celebrate a 7 year old granddaughter's birthday. The setting sun and little girls running everywhere, rolling down green hills, and nearby melting ice cream, butter frosting cake with family and friends all around. These kind of birthdays are special ones we should remember with joy - really remember.

Alphbet Soup Anyone?

I'm back, a day early. Life is a little less hectic right now, thank goodness. It's been beautiful out these past few day - soft, warm ice cream days her in the Midwest. I'm enjoying my morning coffee out on the patio almost daily. But tomorrow will be an ozone action day so it's a reading day. I work most evenings writing so my mornings are the time for thought and a bit of rest. It's also when many of my ideas germinate over that ever present cups of joe.

Tonight and most nights I write only for myself. Mostly to create items to send out for possible jobs, or to use as copy for a little freelancing. My repertoire has expanded to almost everything which is great. I did 2 years of exploring my home town and the surrounding areas and it's nice to think on life and ideas too now.

So here's to writing and sharing what I like, who I know, and sometimes just simple thoughts! For me life is an alphabet soup filled with good things and great thoughts!

FYI

I'm taking the week off so enjoy some of the, "oldies but goodies!"

Summer's Fading

Summer's winding down to a beautiful warm end this year. Not hot...not humid, just lovely. We walked our town's avenue and saw young people eating ice cream sharing time with friends and hoping to ward off the school year, or maybe hoping for it to come, who knows.

The end of summer is always nice, but this summer it's especially nice. I've wandered these past few evenings around the yard and the garden among the butterflies and humming birds or sat quietly on our veranda, filled with warm breezes and the sounds that fill all summer days. I just love this time of year!!

The Road Show Was Great!!!

I got to go to the Antique Road Show today. Six hours on my feet and I saw smiles from ear to ear on everyone around me! The painting I brought was only worth about $75, but one other item was worth something more, and I learned so much about where it came from too.

So, now you know I am an Antique Road Show fan. Many of the appraisers are almost celebrities themselves and it was so much fun to see them, meet fellow Roadies, and simply talk antiques with everyone I came into contact with today.

What is the draw here? Over 3000 tickets were won through a lottery and the number of people who tried to get tickets was really amazing! Turned out this show drew one of the highest numbers of people interested in getting to the show here in Grand Rapids, the furniture city. It was a beautiful summer day out side, but inside the DeVos Center the people were packed in and were standing in lines that reminded me of those lines at amusement parks - only they were much for fun for the adults that attended this fascinating event.

There were all kinds of furniture, from trunks to tables; musical instruments; and more paintings than I've ever seen in one place - and also a few really strange objects. As we walked through the lines there these long pikes that towered over the whole scene and peaked the curiosity of all those around me in line. The guesses as to what they were ran from two staffs from deepest, darkest Africa - to some kind of Medieval pikes. They turned out to be original props from the Judy Garland movie The Wizard of Oz! It was really something to watch those objects being filmed for the program too.

If you didn't get to attend, make sure to watch PBS and the Road Show sometime between January and May of 2009 to see the interesting people and treasures that came to visit- along with a whole lot of fun that happened here too!

After Thought

I'm settling a bit since the shock of losing my first step into a writing career, and small though it was it was my start as a writer. I'm frustrated, and angry and so many other feelings all balled up in one mind. I'm not sure where I want to go from here, but I know I can't stop the flow of words because they are a part of who I am. I'm also not sure that I could ever write a book because that's not really who I am right now. We need something I can sell right now, not something for a year or two in the future.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I know I can't stop who I am. Words describe my world, and if I'm honest they always have. I love adding pictures to jazz up the ideas and words, but they aren't the focus.

What now...I really don't know.

I'm Simply Venting...

This week has been crappy, and yesterday I got the email from *#&@&! The paper that I write for is being discontinued, "Please contact the editor about your column." It wasn't much of a job anyway, as a friend reminded me, but it was my first and only success after changing careers again in my really strange life.

I keep sending out stuff, and get no responses...a friend said I should write a book, but I need to have money coming in and that takes a bit too long to get money to live on especially in this day and age (mine).

I'm not sure what I am going to do right now.....

Summer is Sounds, Smells, and Extraordinary Colors

Summer's drifting away on a steaming humid cloud. Today was really one of those days and I kept the dogs in since my older girl has a thick coat and is sensitive to heat. When I did let them out I hosed them down which made the little guy all hyper. He was running around the run barking and rolling over and over, it was quite a site!

The garden is all a buzz with bees which makes for the soft sounds of summer all over the yard. I think half of the things I love about summer are the sounds and smells. You know, those smells of marshmallows over a fire, or the sounds of a warm summer rain, or the thunder of a storm rolling through.

I'm lovin' the images, smells, and sounds of the season. These will be good memories for the coming winter.

Home, Home on the Range

Dog fur is a living force in our home during the summer. With a pooch that is part German shepherd there are tumble dogs rolling around with the wind from our air conditioner that runs much of the summer. I have heard over and over again that,"if you'd only brush her there would be no problems!" Well, I do - and often! And for those who know the shepherds they are champions in the shedding department and I could vacuum three to four times a day and not keep up with those fur balls that roll around as if they are alive.

My poor vacuum has been straining to keep up with those rather large dust bunnies that often hide under beds and chairs around our house. This is honestly the only part of summer I dread, since I am not much for being indoors during the summer months if I can help it and vacuuming is certainly not one of my favorite household chores either.

But it's Sunday night, and those bunnies can hide all they want because I am enjoying the day. I will chase them around sometime tomorrow - or maybe not!